The wife of the CEO, who had been on a year-long business trip abroad, returned home—with a pregnant belly.

“Nate Bennett,” she said, eyes filled with guilt, “I’m sorry. At a cocktail party during the trip, Lucas Grant and I got drunk... and ended up sleeping together. I never meant for this to happen.”

Lucas—the same assistant she personally hired before leaving for that trip.

For a moment, it felt like the ground beneath me cracked open. My mind went blank. I stood there, stunned, like I’d been struck by lightning.

But after everything we’d been through as husband and wife—years of shared life, emotions, and effort—I forced myself to stay calm. I wanted to believe this didn’t have to be the end.

“Abort the child,” I said slowly. “Fire Lucas. If you do that, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”

“No.”

She rejected my condition without a moment’s hesitation.

“I’m carrying triplets,” she said firmly. “An abortion could cost me my life. Would you really risk that?”

I stared at her, heart sinking.

“And Lucas...” she continued, almost defensively, “he’s the children’s biological father. He may not be the most competent employee, but I can’t just throw him away. He needs a job, at the very least. I won’t fire him.”

Before I could respond, Lucas himself barged into the room. He dropped to his knees in front of me without warning.

“Mr. Bennett, please,” he begged, voice trembling. “I swear I don’t have any ulterior motives. Just give me and the children a chance to survive.”

Evelyn Carter quickly pulled him up and gave me a disapproving glare. “Look at him. What more do you want?”

The two shared a glance—fleeting, yet unmistakably tender.

At that moment, I realized something.

We were over.

Whatever remained between us was now just a hollow shell of what used to be.

I turned and left without a word. Later that night, I called a number I hadn’t dialed in years.

“I’ve been a househusband for too long,” I said into the receiver. “It’s time I went back to being myself.”

A playful, familiar laugh echoed on the other end.

“Well, well. New York’s original playboy makes his grand return. Welcome back.”

——

The very next day, I filed for divorce.

But Evelyn didn’t respond. Instead, she checked into a hospital to rest and focus on her pregnancy.

Months passed. The babies were born.

When I arrived at the hospital, I ran into her parents just outside the ward. They looked ecstatic—radiating the joy of becoming grandparents.

“Nate! Perfect timing,” her father said cheerfully. “We’ve named the boys already. Richard, Richard, and Lilly. All good strong names, don’t you think?”

I didn’t answer. Not immediately.

Evelyn’s mother scoffed. “Why? You object to them taking our surname?”

She folded her arms.

“Since marrying Evelyn, she’s clearly been the one in charge. You’ve always played a supporting role. So let’s not kid ourselves—those boys are Carters, not Bennetts.”

I gave them a half-smile.

I had no objection. Whether they bore the name Carter—or even Grant—made no difference to me now.

“It’s settled,” Evelyn’s father added. “Your opinion changes nothing.”

“And I heard you wanted a divorce?” he scoffed. “You really are ungrateful. You should be thanking the heavens she didn’t dump you the moment she got pregnant.”

“You should apologize to her immediately.”

My lips curled, more out of irony than anger.

Of course. Parents like these could only raise someone like Evelyn.

I brushed past them and opened the door.

Inside, I saw the two of them—Evelyn and Lucas—leaning over the three newborns.

They were laughing softly, talking about whose features the babies inherited.

“The eyes are like mine,” she said. “But look at their skin—exactly like yours.”

It was a warm, picture-perfect moment.

And once, that warmth belonged to us.

But now, the leading man has changed.

Lucas noticed me and quickly stood up, bowing slightly with a respectful look.

“Mr. Bennett,” he said, cautiously speaking.

But the moment Evelyn stepped into the bathroom, his face changed in an instant.

Gone was humility.

He looked up at me with a slow, knowing smile.

I lowered my voice and asked again, “Nate, how does it feel to raise another man’s child and wear a green hat?”

“Bittersweet? Or just plain humiliating?”

Expressionless, I stared him down and said, “If Evelyn saw your disgusting face right now, do you think she’d throw up from sheer revulsion?”

“Do you want me to slap you again and throw you out myself?”

Seeing I wasn’t taking the bait, Lucas’s smile stiffened with frustration.

I calmly reached for a cup of steaming water on the table and said coldly, “Let me show you who Evelyn will really slap—and who she’ll be tossing out.”

The next moment, he poured the entire cup of boiling water onto one of the baby boys.

I was stunned.

Even a tiger doesn’t harm its own cubs. This pretty boy… was truly vicious.

“Waaaah!”

The baby’s piercing, heart-wrenching cry shook the room. Evelyn rushed out of the bathroom, struggling to pull up her pants in panic.

“What happened to the baby?”

Plop!

Lucas immediately knelt before me again, crying pitifully as he spun his tale.

“Mr. Bennett, I know you’re angry, and you can take it out on me, but please, the baby’s innocent!”

“He’s just a newborn—his skin is so fragile. How could he possibly withstand boiling water?”

“What?!”

Evelyn’s face twisted in fury. Without hesitation, she slapped me hard across the face.

“Nate! You’ve gone too far!”

“Even if you hate the children, there’s no need to be so cruel!”

“They did nothing wrong. They’re innocent!”

Blood filled my mouth. I spat it out slowly and asked, “Are you that sure it was me who poured the boiling water?”

“Of course!” she shouted. “Lucas is their biological father! If not you, then who else?!”

“Heh…”

I sneered. “You call him Lucas so sweetly.”

“In that case, I’ll just step aside and make room.”

“Enough. I don’t have time to argue with you.”

“Pray the baby’s okay—if anything happens, I’ll never forgive you!”

With that, Evelyn cradled the crying child, gently rocking and soothing him as she hurried out of the room.

I tightened my grip on the briefcase in my hand.

Clearly, today wasn’t the day the divorce agreement would be signed.

Dragging my exhausted body home, I had just sat down when loud shouting echoed from upstairs.

“Is Nate back? Hurry up and bring me the foot soak.”

“It’s time for my midnight snack—same as always. Longan and lotus seed soup, no sugar.”

“…”

I sat frozen, dazed, as the memories of the past few years came flooding in.

I had fallen for Evelyn at first sight.

I loved her so deeply, that I was willing to run away from home and leave everything behind just to be with her.

I loved her so much, I changed who I was. From a carefree playboy, I became a gentle, devoted man—one completely devoted to her.

I gave up the nightlife, the drinking, the meaningless relationships.

I chose to become a househusband, serving her and her parents with everything I had.

But what did I get in return?

A pair of horns, and three children that weren’t mine.

What a cruel joke.

Dingling…

My phone suddenly rang, snapping me out of my thoughts.

It was Evelyn calling.

But when I answered, it was Lucas’s voice that came through the receiver.

“Mrs. Carter, lie down. I’ll massage your waist. It’s vital for women to care for their waists during postpartum recovery—it affects their figure later on.”

“And you mustn’t get angry during confinement. It can cause liver qi stagnation.”

“Here, I’ll press your chest a bit to help with breathing…”

“...”

“Mrs. Carter, is the pressure okay?”

"Hmm..."

"That’s perfect—feels amazing."

"Massage my feet next. The swelling from pregnancy still hasn’t gone down."

"Of course, Mr. Carter."

"Just call me Mr. Carter in front of others. When we’re alone, it sounds awkward. Call me… Evelyn."

Beep beep beep...

The line went dead. I stared at the large wedding photo of me and Evelyn on the wall.

We looked so happy, so in love.

But all of that… was gone.

"Are you just going to sit there like a statue? My foot bath isn't ready!"

"And your dad’s midnight snack—where is it? He’s starving, completely useless these days!"

Mrs. Carter’s voice snapped me out of it as she came down the stairs.

I looked at her and said evenly, "You don’t have hands or feet?"

"If you want hot water, boil it yourself."

"If you're hungry, cook something yourself."

She blinked, confused. "What did you just say?"

"Did I stutter? Or is your comprehension this poor?"

"Starting today, I’m not your servant. Get that through your head."

I stood up and strode past her. Under her stunned gaze, I tore the wedding photo in half—removing myself from it.

"Ah!"

"Nate, are you insane?!"

Ignoring her scream, I tossed a divorce agreement onto the table.

She picked it up, and scanned it, her expression darkening.

"So this is it? You really want to divorce Evelyn and split her assets?"

"Let me make it clear—you’ll never get a cent!"

"Even if she has kids with another man, you still—"

"Heh..."

I interrupted with a cold laugh. "Relax. It’s in the papers—I don’t want anything from Evelyn."

"Her money? Keep it. I’m done."

That shut her up. I walked out as she stood there speechless.

Then, behind me, I heard her spit on the floor.

"Bah! Worthless and delusional! No wonder she dumped you!"

That night, I booked the best suite in the city’s most luxurious hotel.

Alone in the silence, I scrolled through my contacts, stopping at a number I hadn’t dialed in years.

I hesitated—then pressed call.

After a few rings, a familiar sultry voice answered.

"Well, well. Look who finally called. Bennett the Gentle has returned?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "Sis, don’t tease. I’ve had enough."

She dropped the teasing tone immediately.

"I warned you she was no good, but you insisted on worshipping her."

"How does it feel now? Broken and bleeding?"

"Let me guess… you know everything?"

"Of course!"

She snapped. "Even if you’ve been out of touch for years, you’re still my little brother. Our parents’ only son. The rightful heir to the Bennett Group."

"You really thought we’d just forget about you?"

I smiled bitterly and exhaled slowly.

"I guess playing the loyal househusband was never really me. Time to go back to who I was before."

"And one more thing..."

I paused, then said firmly, "All the support I’ve been secretly giving Evelyn these years—financial backing, connections, everything—it ends now."